Sep 20
Smart Canadians go south for Winter Tires!
So the Price Gouging of Canadians Continues! We used to say that smart Canadians go south for the winter, but these days smart Canadians are turning south to find bargains on Winter Tires.
With the recent introduction of the “Quebec Snow tire law”, it appears the Tire Companies are all set to price gouge to their hearts content. We conservatively estimate that over 600,000 cars will require 2.4 Million winter tires. Please refer to Study.
This represents a price gouge just to Quebeckers in the range of 130 to 175 Million dollars!
So you ask, how did we mange to estimate that we were being gouged at around $60.00 per tire?
Over the last few weeks CWB member Cy Daly and yours truly went out to find the best price. We both owned Hondas and we were looking for a P205/55/R16 model. 
We checked out prices for 3 models of tires, the Michelin XiceXI2, the Goodyear Ultra Grip Ice, and the top of the line Goodyear Eagle Ultra Grip GW3.
We talked to several tire shops in Montreal , Plattsburg, Massena, over the internet, and for our members out west we even have a quote from a store in Edmonton. (boy are they ever soaking you folks! buyer beware!) For our comparison we chose Costco and Gordons in Montreal, Warren Tire in Plattsburg NY, Seaway Tire & Auto in Massena NY, and Fountain Tire in Edmonton.
Cy and I finally went with www.TireRack.com ( and we had several conversations with Ethan - 1-888-981-3953 ext 689 or ethan@tirerack.com to understand the pricing and shipping logistics). After gas and travel expenses, we saved $78.40 per tire over the price quoted us in Montreal! This includes a $13.55 charge for installation at a local Montreal Garage.
On Friday September 12th we paced our order. The Tires arrived via UPS ground in Massena N.Y. on Sept 17th.
The following is our price study and a blow by blow detail of our adventure yesterday!
- Picked up Cy at his house at 11:00 A.M.
- Stopped for lunch in Cornwall with CWB partner Serge Bergeron. 12:00-1:00
- Crossed Border 1:30 P.M. and travelled 12 miles to Massena.
- We picked up our Tires at “The Ship-It Shop”. 1 North Main Street. We paid our fees of $5.00 per tire and spent approximately one hour with the Manager Richard Centrella and one of the employees Leslie. They had just said good bye to 2 other fellows from Montreal buying tires. Richard indicated he was gearing up for a big season of Canadians. 315-764-5866
- We gased up at the local Sunoco ( saved more $$$), and checked out the SeaWay Tire and Auto store for quotes.
- We crossed at the border, we were questioned and asked to stop. We paid our taxes and there was no duty applicable.
-we were back in Cornwall at 4:00 P.M.
- We enjoyed a quick beer at the local Canadian Legion and were back home at 5:30 P.M.
So there it is in a “nutshell” - as we went thru this process we were hard pressed to understand why the tire companies were sticking it to Canadians, but in the end, If Canadians are willing to pay the extra $$$$, why not scr##w them. Funny not many other Canadian Consumer groups or the media have picked up on this.
The only thing we have heard from our politicians lately is they are there to protect the consumer, but they stay away from discussing gouging on tires and cars and car parts. We wonder why!
Further Note: Warren Tire in Plattsburg was willing to store our summer tires, but we still felt their prices were too high. We assume that the U.S stores in the North East were also aware of the price differences and they were just quoting at a level that might still entice a Canadian, yet put some big $$$ in their pockets.
Finally the $50.00 rebate we obtained because we purchased the tires with a Credit Card having U.S. Address.
On another note posted 2009-09-25: The border agency at Malone NY does not collect PST. (we were told that the Quebec government expects you to mail them the PST when you do not re-enter the country via Quebec) which would amount to $32.76 in our specific case.
If you need any more info don’t hesitate to contact us at info@carswithoutborders.com. If you find we might have helped you why not donate a few bucks to our cause!
September 20th, 2008 at 4:35 pm
Gauging continues whereever they can. With free trade - internet and smart shopping, consumers can counter some of this gauging. Like we said for TV’s, tires, vacation trips etc - we can. With cars and the RIV - the battle continues - more profits means dirtier tactics from the big guys.
Cy and Bob. it was nice of you to drop by. Are you guys thinking of getting more tires for friends, family.
TireRack - Ebay - CWB - the internet tools for the modern consumers.
September 21st, 2008 at 8:01 am
Good for you Robert, that’s the right way to purchase winter tires. I’ve been purchasing 3 sets of tires for my sister and myself with TIRERACK. I’m very satisfied with their services
The tires are shipped to my relative in Albany, I paid no GST/PST because I stay 2 nights in the USA.
Here are my experiences with TIRERACK
March/5/2008
TIRERACK (USD) Montreal Pricing ($can)
Four Michelin X-Ice 225/60/16 (Honda Odyssey) $264 +37 Shipping = $301 $820 Costco all tx included
Four Bridgestone Blizzak WS-50 225/55/16 (Acura 3.5RL) $232 +36 Shipping = $268 Price varies from $780-$830
August/29/2008
Four Bridgestone Blizzak DM-Z3 (Nissan Murano) $548 + 100 (ship from Nevada) = $648 Price varies from $1380-1450
If you don’t speak English, there is a guy by the name of Reggie: reggie@tirerack.com, 888-981-3953 #644. You can bargain to reduce shipping fee if the tire are not available from Delaware warehouse. The tires for the Murano was not available in Delaware, the cost to ship from Nevada was $160, we finally settle for $100.
I have 4 friends, they will soon order their tires. They rent a US mail for 6 months at $65 US at Lacolle border to ship their tires and other stuff. Go to http://www.bordermail.us
September 21st, 2008 at 8:45 am
These comparison price are indicative of how we are continuously being ripped off by the local retailers when purchasing various commodities.
Most of them could purchase tires from Tire Rack, mark it up 100 % and still sell it to us at a lower rate than they are presently charging.
Our governments do not regulate anything worthwhile and in fact do not even respect free trade agreements.
Transport Canada is a despicable group, who continuously avoid answering questions, change rules/regulation arbitrarily, are arrogant, impolite, uninformed, unaware, uncaring of the peoples rights and firmly believe that we have no right to any answers even under the Freedom of Informatiom Act, and these are their good points
Fits in well with a Hidden Agenda.
Other than that, I don’t really like them.
September 21st, 2008 at 12:09 pm
Nice work!
For people in Ottawa, there are also similar “Ship-it Shop” places in Ogdensburg, NY. The one I’ve used is http://www.corp-center.com .
September 23rd, 2008 at 11:23 am
What duties are applicable to tires? How about steel or alloy wheels?
What are the tax implications of importing these at the border?
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:04 pm
From what we understand if it is made in North America it is duty free. If I were you just call Canada Customs.. they will tell you. Even at an extra 6 or 7 % we still save lots of $$$$
we bought Goodyear and if you follow the story you will see the break down of our costs. Just click on “The following is our price study ” in the story.
September 23rd, 2008 at 4:01 pm
we need more smart guys like Cy to show us the way! Way to go Cy!! I plan on buying my tires south of the border and that great looking red shirt that Cy is wearing:)
September 23rd, 2008 at 4:17 pm
I’ve used Tirerack twice in the past and the service and prices are outstanding. I just placed my third
order with them last week for snow tires mounted and balanced on rims for both my wife’s car and my
daughter’s. If you need wheels and tires together, as many will want if adding dedicated snow tires,
then you don’t even have to worry about getting them mounted and balanced once they arrive.
To answer Dave’s question, fill out an order on Tirerack and enter your postal code to see the
shipping, duty, gst, and other costs for whatever you are ordering. There are no surprise extra
costs when the package arrives at your door as Tirerack pays all that up front and includes in
your price for Canadian orders. You don’t have to go so far as to actually commit to an order to
see this, so play around as it’s not always clear just looking at brands if duty will be applied
or not. One of my past orders was for Goodyear Eagle F1 summer performance tires mounted on
alloy rims that were a Japanese brand. There was no duty on the rims, but the Goodyear tires which
are an American brand, were manufactured in Germany, so duty was applied, although it was not much.
No affiliation with Tirerack or the auto industry, but as you can see I’m a happy customer and they
go beyond most U.S. online shops in making it very easy for Canadians to do business with them.
I hope this helps.
September 23rd, 2008 at 6:03 pm
Great story Jeff, the reason we didn’t buy the rims is because we have TPMS on the Hondas. We were told, that we would have needed to purchase a new set of monitors as well, then get Honda to reprogram the system. Apparently the Honda system only allows for four serial numbers in their software, while the smart Toyota folks set the system up to handle 8.
The other alternative, we guess, was to have the dash light on all the time.
Another reason why Toyota is number one!
September 27th, 2008 at 11:20 am
I’ve just used Tirerack.com again to order another set of winter tires and rims (including TPMS) for a 2nd vehicle. I can’t be happier with their service or prices. When I compare the prices charged at my local tire shops, there’s no question how much we are getting gouged here in Canada. The simple process of hopping across the border and paying duty is so minor compared to the amount of money saved.
September 29th, 2008 at 10:10 am
Good web site, thanks.. Happy Ramadan for everyone..
October 9th, 2008 at 1:59 pm
Guys, great work! I was wondering if anyone knows of a “Ship-It Shop” type store in Buffalo, I live in Toronto so that would be the closest.
Thanks!
November 3rd, 2008 at 8:49 pm
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